I don’t know how much tuition was at Harvard during the 1980’s but I am fairly sure that the original intent of students Matt Wilson and Elaine Harris was not to form what would become a highly regarded Indy band called Trip Shakespeare. Bassist John Munson gave them the core trio of their earliest incarnation. Soon after their formation they moved back to Wilson’s home town of Minneapolis, where they gained a significant regional following and released two albums before signing with the national A&M label.

Trip Shakespeare released four albums and one EP, 1986-1992, before disbanding. Omnivore Recordings has now reissued their first two independently produced albums with previously unreleased bonus material, plus a booklet which chronicles the band and music complete with a number of archival photos.

Applehead Man is Trip Shakespeare at its simplest and rawest. They added a second guitarist and voice shortly after recording this album, which gave the band a fuller sound and better harmonies. The songs in this album were performed live for years within that quartet context and so sound very different on the album.

The lyrics are poetic but the music and rhythms were at the beginning of a learning process, which was limited by one guitarist. The sound, like many independently produced albums of several decades ago, is average at best and even in a remastered form, remains a product of its time. Still, when you hear the band roll through “Fangs,” “Washington Bridge,” “Fireball,” “Highway In The Sun,” and the title track, you gain an appreciation of the band’s passion and power even at the beginning of their career.

The seven bonus tracks center on “Susannah,” “The Nail,” and “Patricia,” which would all be further developed as their career proceeded. “The inclusion of an early take of “Fool For The Wicked” ends the album on a future note as the song would re-emerge down through the years with tight and layered harmonies.

Trip Shakespeare is one of those bands who shined for a number of years by producing creative rock and roll before fading away. Applehead Man is their opening statement in what would become an all to short career.

It seems impossible that Carrie Underwood is a decade into her career but so it is for the 2005 American Idol winner.

Since her idol victory, she has emerged as one of the premier talents on the country music scene, who has had tremendous commercial success. All four of her studio albums have topped the country music charts and three have reached number one on the pop charts with the fourth peaking at number two. When you add in 13 number one singles, four more at number two, six Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 11 Academy Of Country Music Awards, and 16 Billboard Music Awards; you have one of the dominant performers in American music.

It all begins with her voice as it has power, clarity, and an incredible range. Combine that voice with well written songs, smooth production and seemingly effortless presentation and you have a special catalogue of songs.

She has now released the best of her first ten years under the appropriate title Greatest Hits Decade #1. Just about every notable and successful performance of her career are present including “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” “All American Girl,” “I Told You So” with Randy Travis, and a live version of “How Great Thou Art” with Vince Gill. Also included are two new songs; “Something In The Water” and “Little Toy Guns.”

If you really want to find something with which to take issue, several studio tracks could have been left off and “No Ever After” from Enchanted included but those criticisms are minor.

Greatest Hits Decade # 1 is a solid compilation from one of the leading lights of country music. If the first decade of her career is any indication, 2025 should be really interesting.

Jerry McGill may seem like an odd choice for a documentary but film makers Paul Duane and Robert Gordon chose him in all his seedy glory to be the focus of their movie.

Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings were some of the stars of the outlaw movement in country music but McGill was the original outlaw. He was a rockabilly singer who cut one single for the legendary Sun label in 1959. “Lovestruck/I Wanna Make Sweet Love” received little attention and McGill went on to live the life of a bank robber, con artist, burglar, and drug addict who was wanted by the FBI. He spent nearly two decades playing rhythm guitar in Waylon Jennings band under the assumed name Curtis Buck.

Very Extremely Dangerous is a two-disc set that contains the movie, film soundtrack, and Jerry McGill’s lost album.

Not all musicians are stars or leave a lasting legacy. The film looks back on the life of a dying Jerry McGill, who was unrepentant to the very end. McGill passed away shortly after the film’s completion. There are no apologies for his life. The only redemptive aspect of the film is the music, which provides a center and back drop for McGill’s life. While the film may not have that big budget aura and smoothness; it is mesmerizing due to the seediness of his life against the background of the American music landscape.

The lost album probably is not an apt description for his included music. While the music has been lost for the most part; it is a compilation from several sources and recording sessions. The combination of original compositions and covers extend from his Sun single of the late 1950’s to Mickey Newbury’s “Why You Been Gone So Long,” Guy Clark’s “Desperados Looking For A Train,” and his own 1973 composition with the apt title “Hootchie Kootchie Man.” He has a solid rockabilly and country style and if you can disassociate the content of the film from the music; it is a solid listen.

The music from the soundtrack works better within the context of the movie than it does as an individual release. It tends to recede into the background of the movie at times and is best listened to within that context.

Jerry McGill is not a sympathetic person, even during his last days. The fact that he was a part of the American music scene is his saving grace. Very Extremely Dangerous seems more of a labor rather than a labor of love but it is always interesting in a morbid sort of way.

Madeleine Peyroux was Georgia born but French bred due to a move by her parents. She honed her musical skills as a teenager busking on the Streets of Paris. She recorded her first album in 1996 and while she has achieved a degree of commercial success in the United States; in Europe she is a star.

She is a throwback to another era as she is a vocalist in the Billie Holiday style and tradition. Peyroux is an interpreter of songs who moves them into a jazz and blues format through her ability to annunciate each word of the lyrics, while at the same time projecting such emotions as sadness, joy, and regret.

As with many jazz and blues singers of the 1930’s, she has smoothness to her style. The instrumental backing always allows her voice to be at the center of her music.

Her new release, Keep Me In Your Heart For A While: The Best Of Madeleine Peyroux, gathers together 15 of her best performances from her six studio albums. She has an ability to select songs by famous composers that are not as well-known as their signature songs. Tunes such as “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (Bob Dylan), “Dance Me To The End Of Love” (Leonard Cohen), “Guilty” (Randy Newman), “Desperadoes Under The Eves” (Warren Zevon), and “Smile”(Charlie Chaplin) are all taken on a journey through time as they are transformed into graceful and bluesy renditions.

She is an artist who tends to disappear for periods of time so this compilation provides a nice overview of her career. It is not only good music from a particular style but also provides a nice taste of an artist who many times travels under the radar.

The Tripping Souls are not a band in the usual sense of the word. It is guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Paul Makris who gathers together a number of musicians when he wants to record or tour. Joining him on his latest project are bassist Wayne Whitaker and drummers Steve Chaggaris & Harrison Seller.

Makris is above all an accomplished guitarist and his ability to produce melodic chords permeates his music. His vocal sound is restrained and laid back, which gives the overall sound and easy going feel.

While his influences may come from the British rock and pop sound of the past several decades; he has a very modern approach. “Sunny Afternoon” has some booming percussive rhythms that allow Makris to build his guitar sounds. “Narrow Road” continues to build on those rhythms. “Soul Sister” finds him layering his sound.

He takes a simple melodic approach with “A Piece Of Paper.” “Mary Jane” seems like a love song but is actually an ode to marijuana, which could be right out of the 1960’s or 70’s.

Don’t Waste Your Life is a fusion of rock and pop and is a clear statement oof Paul Makris’ musical vision. It is an interesting listen from a man who continues to hone and develop his sound.

Cowboy is a band that rarely comes to mind today, which is a shame. They were a southern rock & country band that had a laid back style. There could rock out at times but it was their introspective acoustic songs that made them one of more creative bands of the early 1970’s.

Songwriters/guitarists/vocalists Scott Boyer & Tommy Tarlton were joined by keyboardist Bill Pillmore, guitarist Pete Kowalke, bassist George Clark, and drummer Tom Wynn not only fit together well but allowed each other room to improvise in the southern rock traditions of the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker Band. Guests Chuck Leavell and Duane Allman also make significant contributions to the music.

The roots of Cowboy and their relationship with the Allman Brothers began in the 1960s when band member Scott Boyer played with Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, and Butch Trucks in a group called the 31st Of February. It was Duane Allman who was instrumental in Cowboy signing with the Capricorn label.

5’LL Getcha Ten was the band’s second album released in 1971 and represents the high point of their career. They had just come off the road after touring extensively with the Allman Brothers in support of their debut album, Reach For The Sky.

“Seven Four Time” finds the band in full southern rock mode. “Right On Friend” is a creative rock song due to the use of an electric sitar to carry the sound. In many ways they were a lyrical band and the poignant “All My Friends” and the anti-war cover, the only non-original composition, of John McKenze’s “The Wonder” show the importance of the message in their music.

Duane Allman provides electric guitar on “Lookin’ For You,” some flashy finger work on the title tune, and dobro on “Please Be With Me.” A faster version of “Please Be With Me” was included on 1972’s Duane Allman: An Anthology. The take included here has a much slower tempo. The song would also be covered by Eric Clapton on 461 Ocean Boulevard.

Cowboy sort of faded away as the 1970’s waned. Boyer and Talton have sporadically played together and the original members recently recorded together. What is left is a legacy of a very good southern rock band.

5’LL Getcha Ten may be a little understated in places but that is what sets them apart from many of their contemporaries. A must listen for anyone interested in the southern rock tradition or just good rock and roll.

One of the better ideas of 2014 is Ruf Records live series titled Songs From The Road. The approach is to record an artist in concert and then release a CD and DVD set of the performance. I recently reviewed the Dana Fuchs entry and now Mike Zito & The Wheel take center stage.

Zito, both as a member of the Royal Southern Brotherhood and as a solo artist, has been a road warrior with several thousand live performances under his belt. He and his band pulled into the Dosey Doe in Woodlands, Texas, January 10, 2014, and the tape was rolling.

I own several of Zito’s studio albums but on stage he exudes a whole new level of energy and excitement. Joining him are sax player Jimmy Carpenter, bassist Scot Sutherland, keyboardist Lewis Stephens, and drummer Rob Lee. . Zito is many times an underrated guitarist but on stage he steps forward to demonstrate his skills. His interactions with Carpenter and Stephens tie everything together.

Whether it be on the funky, sax driven “Don’t Break A Leg,” the rocking “Greyhound,” the autobiographical “Rainbow Bridge,” or a tasty cover of “Little Red Corvette;” the music crackles and the band is tight.

If you truly want to know what a musician is all about, you need to experience his or her music live. Song From The Road allows one to see and hear the culmination of Mike Zito’s twenty plus years of experience.

Linda Jones became one of the great what ifs in soul and rhythm & blues music history when she passed away in 1972 at the age of 28 from complications of diabetes.

She had a unique vocal style that is more often used by jazz vocalists than her type of gospel laced rhythm and blues. It can best be termed a melismatic approach, which is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. This is opposed opposed to a syllabic approach in which each syllable of text is matched to a single note. It is a style that needs to be heard and while it may be a little outside of the listening mainstream, in the case of Linda Jones, it is unforgettable.

Her recording career lasted eight years and while she only had one big hit, “Hypnotized,” in 1967, she produced consistently excellent music for a number of labels. Real Gone Music has now gathered her output for three of those labels under the title The Complete Atco, Loma, & WB Recordings. The release includes her entire Hypnotized album, which is arguably the best and most consistent of her career.

Her cover of the soul standard “I (Who Have Nothing)” is both emotional and passionate. Her gospel influences shine through on tracks such as “Take The Boy Out Of The Country,” “My Heart Needs A Break,” and “I Just Can’t Live My Life (Without You Babe).” Her take on the Beatles “Yesterday” is both powerful and unique.

The music was recorded between 30-40 years ago and the remastered sound is surprisingly good considering the technology of the day. The liner notes present a good overview of her career and the recording sessions that produced the music contained in this release.

Linda Jones’ career was short and The Complete Atco, Loma & WB Recordings contains a significant portion of her recorded legacy. Hers was a somewhat different approach to soul music and it is worth exploring.

Travel to the Mississippi Delta, take a cup of blues, add a dash of soul and funk, and you have the sound and approach of Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers. They have now released their latest album Love Whip Blues.

Harpe is a vocalist/guitarist/songwriter who is the daughter of Maryland area bluesman Neil Harpe. The Delta Swingers include bassist Jim Countryman, harpist Richard Rosenblatt, and drummer Bob Nisi. Also on hand are multi-instrumentalist Dave Gross and slide guitarists Bob Margolin and Sonny Jim Clifford on three tracks.

The music is a combination of original compositions and interpretations of songs by Willie Brown (“Future Blues”), Lucille Bogan (“The M&O Blues”), and John Prine (“Angel From Montgomery”) among others.

Harpe has traveled an interesting musical journey. She released two acoustic blues albums and five more fronting an electro-dance band. Now with the Delta Swingers, she has fused both of these approaches and settled in to what can best be described as a danceable blues sound.

A blues foundation is intact and Rosenblatt’s harp play helps maintain a connection to the southern delta. It may not be an album for purists but the blues have always been open to interpretation and expansion and Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers have carved out a nice niche for themselves.

Love Whip Blues is an album that will entertain and make you smile and sometimes that is enough.

Markus James is one of the more interesting and unique artists performing and recording today. He plays a variety of instruments including electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica, gourd banjo, dulcimer, and a 1-string diddley bow. While his versatility is laudable; the unique and interesting part comes from the fact that he only records and performs with a drummer or percussionist. He has now returned with his latest album titled Head For The Hills.

James fuses the blues of the southern delta with what can be considered its West African origins. He spent a number of years in Mali, where he produced five albums that gradually connected his African based music to the rhythms of the delta. It all adds up to a primitive exploration of the blues as he melds his various instruments to whatever percussion instruments may be handy, including drums, buckets, pots & pans, and even a little hambone percussion.

His music is a double history lesson as it connects the delta blues to its African roots. His use of five drummers various the music but it always remains true to his fusion approach. Songs such as “Suit Of Golden Clothes,” “Fallin From The Sky,” “Gone Like Tomorrow,” “Candyland Refugee,” and “Diddley Bow And Buckets” are a journey through the fertile mind of an artist who has taken the blues road less traveled.

Head For The Hills continues the adventurous creativity that that permeates his music. A good listen for anyone interested in the origins of the blues.